Lime Bikes Take Over Greensboro

Before classes began at Greensboro College in August 2017, the city of Greensboro celebrated an expansion of the Lime Bike program which allows people to rent and share three-speed colorful green bikes throughout Greensboro. Lime Bike put 800 new bikes in Greensboro in August and, since then, you can find these bikes all over the city and all over campus.

The bike share program works through the Lime Bike App available on the Apple Store and Play Store for all smartphones. Anyone in need of a bike can download the app to scan the QR code that unlocks the bikes. The app is connected to a debit or credit card and charges $1 for every half hour. UNCG students get a half-off discount and can use the bikes for only $0.50 a half hour. The bikes use a GPS system that enables users to locate a bike through the map on the app. After using the bike, one can park it anywhere and simply must lock it through the app. Through this GPS system the Lime Bike company can also keep track of their bikes. The first ride after downloading is free for anyone to try.

As great as the bike share program might sound, there are problems that come with it. Lime Bike management has recently been coping with a student-started issue with the bikes called the Lime Bike Challenge. Considering that riders can park the bikes wherever they want, some students have taken to finding the craziest and weirdest places to park their bikes. Lime Bikes have been found in trees, on top of buildings, fire escapes and even hanging off the side of bridges. These bikes parked in dangerous places risk being run over or destroyed in some other way. The Lime Bike management has tried to keep these accidents from happening through reports made by other people and keeping track of them through the GPS map. Unfortunately, there is no real way to guarantee that a person will take care of the borrowed bike, but Lime Bike encourages everyone to park them in safe places so that others can use them if needed.